Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-12-30

| AL the last meeting of the society of the
Army OF the Potomac a large committee
was appointed to arrange for a reunion of
the Northern and Southern veterans on
the field of Gettysburg next July, and to
select an orator for the occasion. The
commi'tee, 1t seems, have quite generally
favored suggestion that the Comte de
Parls be invited to deliver the address
the considerations being that the speaker
must address the soldiers of the two op-
posing armies, and that the Comte de
Paris has made in his history of our civil
war, special study of the GETTYSBURG
campaign from an bipartisan point of
view. The fact that the count has been a
member OF the Society of the Army of the
totomac since its first organization was a
further argument for his selection. or
the 1orty-two members of the committee
all concurred in the choice with the eXcep-
tlon or TWO. One of these was General
Benjamin f. Butler, who gave to the press
despatch in which he said:
am too American, and hope too mich of
soldier of the war OF the rebellion, to iuyiIe
u frenchman, who, be ause he was prince.
was permitted to play soldier for his own az
grandizement on the staff of a commandi"y
pcnei al In that war, and who as such officer
was at one time at the head of that gene airs
bureau OF info nation, and for want nj
KNOW edge OF the peculiarltes of our neonIa
ana the ldioms of our language did his com
a snni as as happen TO know; great mischief.
W peak Tor the armies of the United States
al Ihe reunion at Gettysburg.
Commenting on this, the Army and
NdDy journal sa.s:
General Bntler evidently considered his
autograph valuable even at the end of n
teIeSram, Tor he left the dispatch to be
pald Tor by Gen. Butterfield to whom he
addressed 1t. This is not important, but
IL Is characteristic. There was an under
standing among the committee that the
discussion as to the choice of orator should
De considered confidential, and the pro
prlety OF this was obvious But General
Butler evidently has different idea of
the pioprieties. AS he will hardly claim
70 oe more OF an American" OF" "a soldier
OF the War of the Rebellion" than Slo
cum, Couch, Doubleday Parke, Hunt.
Robinson, Barlow and others whose
names appear upon the committee, his
course Is doubtless 10 be explained by that
niuch inner appreciation of the obligations
Hi 5he gentleman, which Is General But
lers distinguishing characteristic.
The COmte de Paris is DISTINGUISHED
cltlzen In both the world Of let ers and of
foreign politics. A titled Frenchman,
and, as he claims, the heir to the throne
OF France he took our side distinctly il
the conflict, served on Gen. McClellan's
star Tor year. and has written a vulu-
mIhous and elaborate history of
the war, Perhaps he wouli he
more acceptable TO the Southern sol
dlers who will gather at Gettysburg
than any Northern orator and no South
4rh orator is likely to be invited to deliver
the address. AS, since it is to be Joint
ahalr' all must wish the arrangements
Ior the occasion to be acceptable to the
confederate veterans, and the reunion as
Pheasant to them as one can be on the
neld where their cause went to wreck. !
thls Is an important consideration. What
sort OF speaker the count is, we do not
khow-beyond the fact that he speaks